History

The Honorable Duff Roblin P.C. and Maitland B. Steinkopf MBE, QC formed the concept of a Manitoba Centennial Centre in 1960 to commemorate Canada’s centenary and initiate a broad scheme of urban renewal in Winnipeg’s Point Douglas Area.

“The Centre will grow and will serve succeeding generations in Manitoba as a permanent focus for the performing arts, the sciences and the cultures of the wide spectrum of our people.”

Centennial Concert Hall, as part of the Centennial Centre, was built as a Canadian Centennial project. A team of professionals worked together to create this $ 8 million, 253,014 square foot venue with a seating capacity of 2,305.

Prominent Canadian artists were selected to capture the spirit of the Centennial Concert Hall. in the lobby, a mural by artist Greta Dale greets visitors. Two murals by artist Tony Tascona are featured on the orchestra level on both the left and right sides.

A number of sources contributed to the funding of this historic project. The Manitoba Centennial Centre was fortunate to receive donations from all three levels of government – Federal, Provincial and Municipal. In addition to government funding, an intense local fundraising campaign called The Manitoba Centennial Citizens’ Campaign was launched. This highly successful campaign sought private and corporate donations through various programs and collected close to $7 million to contribute to the project.